An incredible plant!! There is nothing understated about Ruellia proxima – from its enormous leaves to its large, showy white flowers. This shrubby Ruellia was first collected from Bolivia along the Rio Juntos near Cochabamba in 1892. We found this population in a wet, deeply shaded side drainage off the Rio Beni we accessed by small boat. Definitely worth all the effort! In addition to the Amazonian areas of Bolivia and Brazil, populations are also known from lowland forests of Peru.

Wild collected, Bolivia, Erin Tripp #6001 w/ Manuel Luján, and Dina Clark (COLO); Photo by Manuel Luján; Blog post by Dina Clark